- Priyanka Gandhi’s “cow urine expert” remark sparks heated exchanges in Parliament.
- Congress MP questions the composition of the Centre’s education reform panel.
- BJP alleges the remarks insulted IIT Madras Director Prof V. Kamakoti.
- Anurag Thakur hits back, accusing Congress of disrespecting scientists.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 28th July: A fresh political confrontation erupted between the BJP and the Congress in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra referred to a member of the Centre’s newly constituted education reform panel as a “cow urine expert”, drawing strong objections from Treasury Bench members.
The controversy unfolded during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, when Priyanka Gandhi questioned the government’s approach to reforming India’s examination system following the National Testing Agency (NTA) controversy.
Without naming anyone directly, Priyanka Gandhi criticised the constitution of the new expert panel appointed by the Centre.
“Maybe they should change their advisors. Creating new committees won’t work. No matter who their president is,” she said.
Referring to the earlier Radhakrishnan Committee, she alleged that its recommendations had remained unimplemented.
“The Radhakrishna Committee was also formed to reform the system. To date, one of its recommendations has not been implemented. And in this new committee there is an ex-IB chief, the owner of an IT company and there is also a ‘gaumutra’ (cow urine) expert,” she said.
Although she did not identify the individual, the remarks were widely interpreted as referring to Prof V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, who is among the six domain experts appointed to the Centre’s high-powered task force on examination reforms.
Prof Kamakoti had attracted attention in January 2025 after speaking about the alleged medicinal properties of cow urine, citing research that he said demonstrated its antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. He later defended his remarks by referring to scientific studies and peer-reviewed publications that, according to him, examined the bioactive properties of cow urine.
Responding during the debate, BJP MP Anurag Thakur strongly criticised Priyanka Gandhi’s remarks, accusing her of insulting one of India’s leading scientists.
“I am saddened by the remarks she made about one of India’s great scientists and professors, IIT Madras professor V. Kamakoti ji,” Thakur said.
He defended Prof Kamakoti’s credentials and said there was nothing wrong if he was associated with the RSS.
“You should also join the RSS; you will learn some values and start thinking about the country,” Thakur told the Congress benches.
The BJP leader also took a swipe at the Congress leadership, saying he had expected Priyanka Gandhi to be different from her brother Rahul Gandhi but was disappointed by her remarks.
“I thought Priyanka Gandhi ji would be better than Rahul Gandhi ji… But after the remarks she made today about the IIT Madras Director, I feel that the brother and sister are alike,” he said.
The exchange added to the sharp political sparring witnessed during the discussion on the proposed amendments to the anti-paper leak law, with both the ruling party and the Opposition trading barbs over education reforms and the government’s handling of examination-related issues.
